Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-30
History Of the Crime.

L "oAu udScuCu OVCTU uc WIIt9 OH MAY
26, 1886, to TIE MINER from Melrose
that that the stage for Glendale had left
Melrose in this county and had only gone
q short distance when road agents ap-
peared and ordered the driver, George Fer
guson, to halt. He did not obey the or
der but Immediately urged his horses for
ward when a shot from one of the robbers
hit him in the neck and he fell forward bad.
ly wounded. He was caught in the act of
falling by Mr.. T. s. Marchant, of San Fran
cisco, who sat beside him, and who grasped
him as he fell and raised him upon his seat.
Mr.. Marchant started the horses on a dead
run and the coach reached Glendale intact
with the driver who was dead by this time
On the box where he was shot. The man
who shot Ferguson was clad in light clothes
and wore q light hat. Fifty men started
from Glendale at once. When the news
was received in Butte Sheriff Sullivan Sc
lectcd a posse and started On the trail
without delay. Sheriff Jones. OF Beaver
head county, left for the scene from Dillon
as 500 as the intelligence reached him,
objective point from opposite directions
it was hardly possible for the criminals to
escape even in the sparsely settled locality
where the crime was perpetrated.
PASSENGERS ACCOUNT.
Mr.. Marchant, who is q member OF the
firm OF Macondray & Co., San Francisco,
and of the San Jose PackingC Co.. arrived in
Butte on the Sunday evening following the
tragedy. He wasinterviewed by The MINER
representative and from him was gathered
the following account of the murder of
George Ferguson the stage driver.
"Just before we started from MeIrose."
said Mr.. Merchant, 1.-THE driver of the coach
requested me to sit by his side as he wished
to chat with me. The other occupants
of the coach where two ladies
and a little girl who filed the seats inside,
while two men occupied the rear seat. We
had proceeded two miles out from Melrose
and were going at q moderates speed between
a bluff and a creek when a man
suddenly jumped from the willows at the
running to the coach shouted 'stop!' At
the same time he raised Q shot gun and
fired. Some of the shot passed through
my hat knocking it off. The driver, who
was a little more elevated than I was,
received several shot in the right cheek and
fell forward. / grasped him in time to pre-
vent him from falling to the ground and
dragged him back to his seat, and raised
my head just in time to see the robber take
deliberate aim with his weapon. Don't
shoot!' I shouted, but he pulled the trig-
ger. OIVun1Co!y W .o OHo gun HuIeeeI
fire and yelled to the horses. They started
in a gallop and one Of the men
behind me jumped forward. grasped
the flying reins and drove the
team to Glendale. The ladies screamed
but bore up bravely until all danger was
past. The driver died just as we reached
Glendale. Sheriff Jone and a posse Of
mounted men Immediately started out to
scour the country for the assassins. This
morning I accompanied the Coroner and a
Jury to the spot where the murder was
committed, and we found my hat riddled
with buckshot, a canvas coat, the assas-
sins ahot gun and two masks. We ex-
amined the gun and found that the charge
intended for me had not been rammed
home, an oversight on the part OF the rob
Der that saved my life. The two masks
led to the supposition thai the murderer
had an accomplish concealed in the v FLOWS.
l believe they intended to stop the coach
and rob the passengers and mail bags and
that their preparations we're notcompleted
when tho coach reached their place OF con-
cealment. The man who shot the driver
was unmasked. He was a tall man. dressed
in a duck suit and had a smooth face. 1
should know him again il l saw him."
Mr.. Marchant had with him q bundle
which he united for the reporters inspec-
tion. It contained q b~loodstained pair OF
sh;rt cuffs and pair of drawers which had
been literally soaked in the life fluid OF the
unfortunate driver. The articles were worn
nv Mr.. Marchant as he supported the dying
man while the horses were flying to Glen
dale. A reward OF $525 was offered for the
arrest and conviction OF the murderer; VI
this sum $500 was subscribed by the Terri
torv. 5000 by the stage company n 40
by Mr.. Marchant.
nm TEE Tn ALL.
Az already stated, Sheriff Jones, OF beav-
erhaad County, lost no timei in following on
H. trail of the would-be robbers and muir
darers and as be vas en- route to the scene
~ the tragedy on May ~ he saw two me"
ahead OF him crossing the rall~ay o ya.
one OF whom wore the same style oie!o LIZ
ss those worn by the man who sno Ter
ouson. Although they were some oisSSaano
eff the Sheriff halted them. Ihey maJ0 nv
answer but rode rapidly Oh iol.6 . ~ +ter
the rifle bullets of the officer. Az .ne 70
was on FOO it was useless to attemP' !"
follow them and he proceeded TO Me.i beJ
The two horsemen whom Sherln J9n nast;ou
attempted to halt rode ON in tne ,o;Iea
of Dillon, and in a lane abouE aar Sheriff
from that place were met by un.i; Ti .Jonea'
Murray and Henry Bray, Of Sherln :" he1t
nosse. Who halted them. The Iue. " yh;ch
Was responded to by a pistol sn9s, ! oai.
missed its mark. The men tugnsa ~" s~'